The Smell of Shoe Polish and Wildflowers
by NeoWolfe
Summary: ..That's when it came to me...being together with her, made me realize something: I didn't want to be alone again and I didn't want to lose her.(On Temporary Hiatus; Will Return Soon)
1. Prologue

_**Disclaimer: Animal Crossing belongs to Nintendo and I have no ownership do with this series.**_

 _ **~Prologue~**_

 _My life changed forever when I came to Starry Hills three months ago._

 _When I left home, I wasn't really sure what my plan was beyond to go achieve my dreams out in the city. even if it had to be in Animal Country, I wouldn't stop until my dreams had come true._

 _So with only a backpack,a suitcase,at least 600 Bells to my name, and my prized possession - a red violin my brother had given me long ago - I was on a train off to Animal Country, with fear of what's ahead and wondering if Yujin was wrong or if it was a good thing he pushed me to pursue my dream. His words he told me just before I boarded echoed through my mind._

" _Follow your dreams,believe in yourself, and don't give up. Amie, you are your own person. they can't tell you how to live your life. don't forget that."_

 _It was true I was was true I had no idea what I was getting into. But Yujin's words gave me gave me determination to go forward. After an encounter with a gray cat with a strange name( who names a cat Rover?), finally, I arrived in Starry Hills - a small town that was close to Animal City via train. while I would've much preferred living in the city, I just couldn't afford it. any Bells I had were either given to me by Yujin or I received from my part time job. but it didn't matter. I was finally there, ready to step forward and work for my dream._

 _What I didn't expect was a group of Animals greeting me and becoming the mayor._

 _Yeah. I became mayor of Starry Hills. didn't see THAT coming. at first, I tried to tell it was a big misunderstanding but I was already being whisked to Town Hall by 'my' secretary- a somewhat ditzy and workaholic,but kind yellow shih tzu named Isabelle. with no other choice, I chose to resign and take the duty of mayor._

 _Its honestly not bad. in fact, i actually enjoy it. yes at first some of the citizens didn't quite like me. but I had manage to befriend them, or at least not view me as a nuisance..._

 _But there's only one I could call my best friend - and that be a certain spunky bunny named Chrissy. she had been one of the welcoming committee and had delivered my bags when my house was being built and I had to stay in a that point, we started a mostly one sided conversation( she REALLY likes to talk) and one thing led to another, and we became the best of friends. which was odd, as we are complete opposites. She LOVES to talk and be on stage, and can random at points. I'm quiet,and kinda timid but for some reason, she managed to get me out of my shell. and ,for that, I am grateful._

 _Its never easy. some just give off this..aura of wanting to be left alone or bitterness and haughty that it makes it difficult to be a help to everyone, when they don't give you a I wouldn't give in , like Yujin said, I would never give up until I accomplish what I strive for. and seeing everyone on the verge of losing their home..it just lit a fire in me. I want to help. I want to at least try to make it better. I'd always help the villagers, even for the simplest of things. occasionally , I'd even help the store owners around closing time. just the simple things, like helping putting things away or cleaning. nothing too hard. I even part time at The Roost at times._

 _You're probably wondering why I'm so dedicated, considering the town's been getting better. the truth is, I love helping,even without the problems,being helpful is just a part of me. its one of the things that define me, other than my music. it helps me feel like me- just quiet but helpful Mayor Amie._

 _Anyway, recently new shops are being open! from what Isabelle told me, since Nookling Junction is being upgraded , some new shop owners were interested in starting here. its got the villagers real excited, not many people move here since the economy went down and now they got not one, not two but THREE new shops opening! and a night club! I know the new shops are a salon,a gardening shop, and a shoe store. the shoe store seems just a bit out of place, considering most Animals don't wear shoes. well at least I got a new place to buy new boots...Oh! it's getting pretty late right now, and I should get to bed soon. got to thank Yujin for this new journal too._

 _Night_

 _~ Amie. W ~_

 **Hello,Fanfiction! I'm NeoWolfe and welcome to The Smell of Shoe Polish and Wildflowers! sorry if I seem excited and all, but this is my first Animal crossing story and i can't wait to get started.**

 **The prologue is just a bit of backstory for the character i'm going for the player-in this case, Amie. I hope she'll end up being more realistic as the story goes on. I do NOT want her to be a mary sue. i also hope the writing gets better ,too.**

 **And why this is a Player/Kicks story? simple: he's my favorite of the store owners.I love the way he talks, just can't even tell what accent it is! plus, he doesn't have much stories on this site so I thought ''Why not?"**

 **Anyway, update time will be irregular at best. i'll try to update maybe every other day or week.**

 **Until then, read,review, love and no flames**

 **Ciao ~!**


	2. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer:Animal Crossing belongs to Nintendo and I have NOTHING to do with the series so get it out of your head!**_

 _ **Chapter One:A Fated Meeting**_

Welcome to **Starry Hills** \- a small village in Animal Country, for Animals , by Animals. which makes it odd that a human lives here, let alone be mayor of the place. but no one seemed to have a problem with it really.

Said human was currently exiting her home. She was small, but that height was average for humans her age. She had dark blue eyes, but the real oddity was her hair. it was strawberry pink with faint purple streaks, but completely natural for some reason. anyway, her hair was tied into a ponytail, held by a red ribbon. she wore a light blue dungarees dress over a pink and white striped hooded sweater . but what she's wearing isn't really important.

What's important was where she was heading - a medium sized stone building known as **Town Hall**.

" Good Morning!" Amie cheered upon entering the Town Hall, giving a greeting smile that slowly turned into a blank stare.

Sitting at the front desk was Isabelle , like usual. but , currently, the yellow pup was resting her head atop her desk, fast asleep with a pile of paperwork splayed out with some on the floor , and a couple empty paper cup that had fallen to the side.

The pinkette stared at the sight for a couple more seconds, before sighing ." She did it again..'' she muttered under her breath before walking over in resignation. Looking at the sleeping form , she considered against waking her up, but she went with it anyway.

plus, sleeping on a desk would NOT be good for your neck.

Leaning over, Amie gently began shaking her awake."Isabelle..Time to get up.'' she said. after a few minutes , the shih tzu's eyes slowly opened ."Huh..ah..OHMYGOSH!'' Upon seeing her boss , Isabelle sat right up, looking rather frazzled. Amie giggled slightly as she stood back.

"G-Good Morning, M-miss Mayor! I-I was, I just! I-I was just finishing up these papers! y-you know! I always got lots of papers! Heh heh…." giving another small giggle, Amie looked at the somewhat messy desk. " I can see that.." she replied, with a teasing grin.

With a confused look, Isabelle looked at where she was looking at. and seeing the mess made her cheeks burn red. "OHMYGOSH!" she exclaimed for a second time and went to pick up the mess. Amie decided to help out as well.

After they finished, Isabelle looked at her, cheeks still red from embarrassment. "I am sooo sorry , Miss Mayor! I made such a mess of your office, and I-" at this moment, Amie looked at her with a small smile " It's fine, Isabelle. I don't mind as long as you clean up afterwards. '' she said. now the pink haired girl gave her a hard look,"But you know I hate it how you never seem to take care of need sleep too." she scolded, hands on her hips. she looked like a parent scolding a child.

"But I always have so much work to do." Isabelle replied. with a sigh, Amie simply replied "Okay okay...but just remember to get some sleep tonight. I worry about you sometimes." with that , she went over to her desk, while Isabelle's already red cheeks turned scarlet.

'Oh, _Miss Mayor...she's always so nice..Ah! Silly Pup!don't think like that!'_ Despite her thoughts against the idea, Isabelle still went over to her desk with a pep in her step.

* * *

"This is so exciting! Isn't it, sugar?" Giggling nervously, Amie replied " I'm not sure, Chrissy. " Chrissy turned to her friend with a blank expression. that was before she burst.

"You're not sure?!Sugar, this is super, duper amazing~Sparkle! Not one, but THREE new stores!and ones a salon! I wonder if I should get anything done~ and the shoe store!I mean, I don't wear shoes often but I'd still like to have some~Sparkle!I hope there's some with polka dots -you know I love polka dots.."

Amie smiled slightly as the rabbit continued to rant on. _'Oh, Chrissy. the girl just loves to talk..'_ Her mind began to wander as Chrissy's words started to muddle up in her head.

" _What are these new store owners like? since I'm mayor, I have to meet them at some point..I hope they're nice …'_ her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a loud noise.

 _ **CRASH!**_

Both young girls looked at each other in shock before turning towards the was probably the most unusual sight for them at the moment.

There, right out next to the Able Sisters, was a skunk (an Animal Amie knew she had never seen before) that appeared to be around their age (though it was hard tell with some). by his side was a wheeled cart that held a bunch of , the the whole thing was toppled over and the cart lied on its side. Amie even noted some of the boxes were opened and held..shoes? whatever. the shoes were spilled all on the ground.

The skunk was currently groaning softly, annoyance written on his face."Bother…" Amie heard him mutter to himself before he knelt down to start picking up the mess.

At this moment, Amie broke out her stupor and her _"Helper Alarm"_ ,as Chrissy called it, went off. Chrissy glanced at her human friend,knowing what was about to happen "Uh, sugar? he looks like he can handle it~ we should -and there she goes.."

the rabbit watched as the pinkette started walking towards the skunk. she sighed " And our times up~sparkle…"she decided to follow, mainly because she still wanted to spend time with her friend.

"Uh, hello?" Amie called out ,causing the skunk to look up at her in surprise."Do you need any help?" the skunk stared at her in a mix of surprise and confusion for a second, before a somewhat awkward smile appeared on his face."You can if you want, my guest." he said. she replied with a just as awkward but more nicer smile and started picking up boxes along with him. Chrissy watched awkwardly _'Man sugar,you make me feel guilty no matter what, huh?'_ she thought before going to help

Guess hang out time is done for now

* * *

It had taken at least 20 or so minutes but finally all the shoe boxes were stacked and placed properly where they were suppose to grumbled under her breath, "That took forever…" Amie gave her a small disapproving look. "Chrissy.." she than sighed and looked at the skunk, who was looking at them in confusion. she giggled nervously ''So is that everything?" She asked. the skunk looked at the pile for a minute, before nodding."That 's everything."

Amie sighed in relief "Thank goodness.." she said. "Naw, I should be thanking you,mate. I would've been here for at least an hour if you hadn't come by." she flushed,she was not very use to compliments. "Oh it was no big deal just looked like you need help…." Chrissy gave a small laugh, " No big deal for helpful Amie,huh?'' she said, with a teasing grin towards her friend."Amie?" the skunk asked."Yeah~sparkles! her names Amie and I'm Chrissy! and you are..?'' Amie looked at her friend in shock _'S-so forward...Chrissy, we are truly opposites..'_ she thought.

"Well,can call me Kicks. and I run the shoe store , well, will when it opens." Chrissy's eyes lit in realization."Oh!That's why you have a bunch of shoes!''she nodded, " of which, I better get going. I need to get these all set up for tomorrow." he said, glancing at the stack of boxes."Oh! right! we should get going too, right sugar?" Chrissy asked, turning to the pink haired human."Oh,I guess we should. I guess we'll see you around?" Amie looked over at the skunk. "We'll ya, chum." with that, the skunk walked off, pushing his cart ahead of him.

"Well he seemed nice ,huh?" Chrissy asked as the two were heading to the rabbit's house."He seemed..withdrawn…" Amie shrugged."Well at least we met one of the new guys. So, what should we do when we get to my house? should we watch movies,or play one of the board games I got? I'd really like to try this one Alfonso let me see , you have four players and they.."once again, Chrissy's words becoming a muddled mess in her head, Amie faded into her thoughts.

' _That Kicks guy ...he seemed interesting..maybe I'll go visit his shop tomorrow .He might need help…'_

 _ **And that's chapter one! In all honesty, I'm not sure about this entirely, but i'm not sure why...Anyway! next chapter will be soon.  
**_

 _ **and yes, the chapter title is cliche but I could not think of anything else.**_

 _ **Chrissy and Kicks might be a little ooc. but, I swear, I will try to get better or I fail as a writer. if Amie seemed a little..plastic, I am I said before, I will get better as learn. this is my first fanfiction.**_

 _ **Till next time!**_


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:Animal Crossing belongs to Nintendo,and I have absolutely no part in creating the series.**

 **Enjoy the story!**

 _ **Chapter Two:Welcome to Kicks**_

" _Being mayor is never I'm sure being in charge of humans is a lot different than being in charge of Animals. with Animals, it's like taking care of children - bring them something,visit their house,play games with them,etc. it's a bit tiresome at times,but I find it worth it"_

" _Because the Animals don't treat me like a boss or a bother or even a mayor in treat me like a friend.."_

* * *

"...And that's why I'm not allowed at to go near his house again- he even got a restraining story, huh?"

"Yes..very..cool…Katt.."

As usual, Amie was doing what usually happens in Starry Hills- complete with her somewhat strange and silly but kind and playful menagerie of neighbors.

and she cares for them all..no matter how weird they get..which happens fairly often.

"Welp, I gotta go! I'm meeting Jay for a fight ,or race,or something like that. see ya lates, Ames!" Katt, a cat Animal with an intimidating but kind aura , said, most likely ignoring the weirded out look on Amie's face, walking away without a beat.

"Yeah..see you later, Katt.." Amie muttered. _'Note to self: never ask about Katt's ,or any Uchi for that matter, "turf war adventures" again..'_ She thought with a shudder, before continuing to walk along the stone path.

It being another lovely sunny day in Starry Hills,meant meaning Animals- and one human- were all out and about. and of course, many were happy to see their mayor.

" Good morning,Miss Mayor~Stretch."Gladys greeted with a warm smile.

"Good morning to you too,Gladys."

"Heya,Amie! honk!" Antonio waved.

"Hello, Antonio!"

"Mornin,Mayor.."Curt gave an apathetic wave

"Did you get enough hours of sleep,Curt?"

"I stayed up a bit too late and now I'm a sleep deprived.."

"Oh my..well ,make sure you plenty of sleep tonight and get some coffee at the Roost. uh ,but not in that order. be pretty bad for you to start falling asleep out of nowhere."

"Hmm..you're ,fuzzball!"

"No problem."

"Hey,Amie! have you heard a few new stores opened?"Felicity asked

"Oh,yes,I was going to check it out later. Ya know, its kinda my job.."

"It's really interesting,huh~Mimimi?" she said with giggle

"You know it and morning to you,Eloise."

"Ugh, so not a good morning~toooot.."

"Oh,whats wrong?"

"All that noise from that construction woke me up and keeps me really irritating…"

"Oh right, you do live rather close to Main Street...although the club is still being built, it will eventually stop..it doesn't take quite as long.."

" Hmm,I guess I'll have to bare with. I do have slates for the headaches too."

Amie smiled in relief "Oh thank goodness. I'm really sorry I can't do anything to fix it but if you do need help, you know where to find me." Eloise gave her a small smile.

"Of course I do,Miss Mayor."

Amie sighed tiredly. _'I've only been walking for three minutes..'_ she thought."GAH!" a voice screamed."Huh?"

At the moment,a brown alligator Animal was starting to lean dangerously close down the stone pathway,in his arms a large stack of white boxes."Oh Goodness!Alfonso!"Amie gasped in horror before rushing to his side in an instant.

Once there,she immediately grabbed his sides and with a bit of a struggle, managed to pull him sighed in relief as he was once again upright."Phew..thanks,Missus!if it hadn't been for you,my pies would've gone splat."

"Yeah,that wouldn't too nice to clean wouldn't it."Amie said with a small giggle,as Alfonso managed to climb down."No it wouldn' be a big red mess~its a me ! thanks again,Miss Mayor!"

"Just be careful,Alfonso!" she called out as he walked off. "I really do wonder where he gets the money to get those everyday. it's not like we have a bakery or any restaurant around here..you'd have to order that from the city personally since the receptions horrible out here…" Amie mused to herself.

"Are you talking to yourself again,sugar?" Amie jumped high with a squeal as Chrissy came up behind her out of nowhere. she shuddered and took a deep breath before giving her an annoyed look.

"You know I hate it when you do that..I hate surprises."the pinkette muttered annoyed." It's why I did it~sparkle. so, are we going to main street or not? I'm super excited to check all the new thing out!" Chrissy said.

Amie sighed before giving her a small smile." Let's go."

* * *

 _ **Main Street**_ is the shopping district Starry Hills and had added by the old mayor a few weeks before his retirement,and much inspiration from the city only a few hour train ride away.

Usually Main Street was mostly empty with the exception of a few window shoppers at ,today, Main Street had its first big renovation since its ,well,creation.

Not one,not two,but THREE whole new stores opened up,as well as the item shop _**Nookling Junction**_ officially upgraded to _**T &T Mart**_. so not only was an old franchise becoming even better, three new ones were added to the roster.

Not bad for a small town that was on the verge dying,with such terrible reception you can barely use a phone,let alone a computer unless your lucky and can afford it, full happy go lucky residents,and a 19 year old with no college education in the seat of mayor,huh?

And since today was so important, as Animals are not known for being xenophobic or neophobic, plenty of them swarmed the streets,all full of either genuine curiosity or plain interest.

"W-wow,its really crowded today." Amie stated in shock upon their arrival."Why wouldn't it be? everyone was buzzing about it even before construction started~sparkle!"Chrissy replied,scanning the groups of Animals with wide excited eyes.

"It's just so strange to see lots of our neighbors in one place. everyone usually keeps to themselves or in a small group.."

"I know! that's what makes it exciting~sparkle!so, which one do you want to go to first? personally,I want to go to that salon.I was thinking of getting a new hair do or maybe a little trim,but it's not like my hair grow much BUT STILL! a girl is defined by her hair ya' know!or maybe we can try the gardening place. I know you like flowers and stuff,you're always out in the meadow when it warm and stuff and don't think I didn't notice that book you like so much~sparkle! I'm honestly surprised you want to be a musician when you could totally be a florist!I mean -"

They walked for a bit,Amie's absentmindedly watching the crowd as Chrissy babbled on about her career choices or something like that. it's when she caught pure white fur and dark blue shirt did she see someone she least expected.

' _Whitney?!'_ she thought in wandering nearby was a white wolf who Chrissy and plenty of her neighbors dubbed Whitney, the Ice was due to her rather nonchalant nature and overall sugar and ice personality; she's rather nice to some and somewhat of an ice queen to others.

For Amie,it always felt like she was ice towards wasn't that she was mean or anything,but she didn't seem to care for her existence or being with always polite but her words lack the friendliness.

' _Out of everyone,Whitney's the only person in Starry Hills I haven't befriended…'_ Amie thought downhearted. I mean,it's not like she hadn't tried. she's tried many times. none of her attempts have worked.

' _Everyone says she was like this when she move a few months before the old mayor left..I wonder was she always like this?I wonder if something happened..'_

" .gosh! Ames,look at that~sparkle!"Chrissy's words brought her out of her thoughts,"Huh?what?"she questioned."Like,look over there!"the rabbit pointed towards followed her gesture ..and raised an eyebrow in confusion.

Since they weren't really paying attention ,the two girls managed to wander in front of the shoes store- it was easy to tell,as the sigh was a giant shoe and the name of said store rang a quite few bells( and not the money kind).it was short,sweet,and simple: _ **Kicks**_.

"Kicks?"Amie wondered why that sounded a bit yesterday's events popped in her head."OH! that skunk we helped yesterday?..he named his shop after himself?"

"Goodness,and I thought the Smugs were narcissistic..though he might count as one~sparkle."Chrissy commented,earning her a look from her human rabbit suddenly smirked.

"Let's go in."

* * *

Inside,was smaller than she was also a lot more empty with not even one Animals inside. that wasn't the least bit unexpected. most Animals don't really wear shoes outside of formal and business wear.

There were still plenty of shoeboxes places,like in the corner or ,honestly,looked like a bit of a mess.

That ,however,did not stop a certain skunk from greeting them with vigour.

"G'Morning,chum!" Kicks exclaimed with zeal. it was after a moment he recognized them."Oh,you're the two from yesterday right?"

"Uh, 's us."Amie said,giving a friendly if not awkward smile -which was returned.

"Ah,well,still thanks again for yesterday, though you really didn't need out an extra thirty to sixty minutes isn't so bad." she flushed slightly out of embarrassment but still smiled.

"Well,you need help. I'd never leave anyone in need no matter if it's not a big problem,I'll still do anything to help everyone in Starry Hills." Amie replied.

"Yep,nothing stops ol' Sugar here once she sees anyone who could us a hand."Chrissy said in a mix of admiration and annoyance. _'It's one of her flaws and her strengths..'_ she thought to herself in annoyance.

Kicks looked at her in both curiosity and awe."Well that's a strange philosophy,but I guess everyone has something about them like ..welcome to Kicks,chums!"

"You named your store after yourself?"Chrissy asked,repeating Amie's own words."It's a type of shoe."he explained."So you're named after a shoe?that's weird~sparkle,like really weird. like, is that even your real name or did you find it on a box or something ?cause that's dumb~sparkle. "Amie looked at her in shock and horror _'Oh goodness gracious,Chrissy! y-you can't just call someone's name weird!it's just plain rude!'_

Kicks gave her an unamused look."...As I saying..welcome to Kicks! here we sell shoes,but also socks and stockings. you can look around,though there's not much at the moment.."

" We'll do that.."Chrissy drifted off looking around until her eyes spotted on one of the piles."Can I look in those?" "No,I don't think I'd-and she's ignoring me.." Kicks said dryly as the rabbit went over.

Amie shook her head and looked at him."I am so sorry. she tends forgets her manners and it's really mind blowing what she can say at time...I should know.." she apologized,muttering the last part under her breath.

"Nah,it's fine,chum. I'm just glad I got customers. really, you guys are the first to come in." Kicks said."Hmm.." she simply glanced at him."I'm also glad I could finally open up after so long..I"

" You'll like it here. I mean,it's really nice here! I've only been here for a few months and everyone - well maybe not everyone,but most of the population is nice. but some can be a little...well.."

"Apprehensive?"he suggested.

"Strange. and sometimes pushy..and the people here are a little ask for the weirdest things. once,someone bought an apple from me for 1000 Bells."

"And?"

"Apples are the native fruit..you could get them free just by picking them in the orchard."

He gave a look that asked..'Why?'

"I don't know! they can be all so weird!",she giggled with a smile,"But they can be nice ,like Chrissy. you know,when she isn't raiding your things."

"IT'S NOT RAIDING!It's called observing." Chrissy yelled,looking at a pair of pink polka dot maryjanes.

"You call that observing?" Kicks muttered to himself, as Chrissy dropped the box she was holding and went to try on the maryjanes.

He turned to Amie."Would you like something?"he asked. Amie sighed,"Yeah,I'll get something.."both of them stared at the mess a certain white bunny made.

"...I'll help you clean too.."

"..Thanks,chum.."

 _ **That wraps up chapter 2. geez,Chrissy causing a mess and going through Kicks stuff..my favorite villager everyone..**_

 _ **Sorry I haven't updated in a while..this month was a mess with my sister having 12 hour back surgery - she's fine though,if anyone asks- and had to drive 16 hours to Texas to be. then we went to Houston for a bit and couldn't use my laptop because it wouldn't log into the hotel wifi..and then my cellphone stopped working for a while..and that was two weeks ago!**_

 _ **It's just been that kind of month.**_

 _ **But I'm back on track!**_

 _ **This chapter is basically to try and introduce Kicks' personality- he's sorta timid - and also opens a path for his and Amie's friendship which I will get into next chapter. there's also confirmation of Amie's age- 19 years- as well as her everyday life,because those Animals are needy! also shows she has a dislike of surprises.**_

 _ **I did some edits on the intro and chapter one:ex,I changed her keyboard to a violin,which fit her character, well as fixing any mistakes. the perfectionist in me just wouldn't let that happen.**_

 _ **To answer I'mJustAnUchiGirl: No Amie isn't married and probably won't be considering the species of her love interest. I just wanted to test if Miss or Missus sounded better and chose Miss since its grammerically correct.**_

 _ **I'll try updating later this month since I actually have an idea for next chapter.**_

 _ **Ps:Check out my profile if you're interested in Mario or Skylanders. I'll later be uploading fics about those around later this month ,august,and in the fall. but at the moment,TSOSP &WF is my main priority. till next time!**_

 _ **Ciao~!**_


End file.
